Nick Caserio Hints Texans Almost Made Another Draft Trade

The Houston Texans, in typical fashion, made their fair share of draft day deals across all three days of action last week in Pittsburgh, highlighted by a couple of trades that allowed them to move up from their first two picks on the board: Keylan Rutledge and Kayden McDonald.

But it appears the Texans nearly made a third trade on day two of the draft with the next pick they had after McDonald's selection at pick 59.

During a recent appearance on Texans All Access, general manager Nick Caserio broke down the process of drafting Michigan tight end Marlin Klein in the second round and the appeal he and the team had for him, but also noted the team was close to trading back at pick 59 before their potential deals "fell through.“

"He was a player that we had kind of liked from the beginning of the process and kind of until the end. We were pretty consistent in how we felt about the player," Caserio said.

"Reality is, we were at 59... there were a few trade scenarios that were actually on the table for us to move back. We were close to making a trade to move back."

"We felt like, if we moved back a few spots, we still had a shot to possibly get the player. The trades kind of fell through. So, we've always talked, at some point, if you don't have a trade, then you've got to just be ready to pick. We picked Marlin because that’s who we teed up as the next player.”

Nick Caserio on the Marlin Klein pick on Texans All Access:

“Reality is we were at 59, there were a few trade scenarios that were on the table for us to move back, we were close to making a trade to move back. We felt like if we moved back a few spots, still had a shot to… pic.twitter.com/fKeUfxvsGn
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) April 29, 2026

Texans Almost Traded Out of Pick 59

It's no secret that the Texans' front office and Caserio like to keep their hands busy on the trade market around the clock during the draft. That's exactly what they did for their prior two picks to Klein. So to hear three-straight deals for their top three picks were nearly in play isn't a major surprise.

In the end, it was an idea that didn't quite expand beyond those discussions behind the scenes. That opportunity to trade down evaporated, as do many deals in the midst of that draft day chaos, and the Texans opted to stick and pick their guy in Klein with the pick they had instead.

Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (17) makes a catch against Purdue defensive back Hudauri Hines (4) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 1, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It seems like in the event of a trade down or not, the Texans had their eyes on Klein, or a tight end within a similar mold.

It was around that late-second, early-third-round range where several tight ends who could work in-line as blockers came off the board in bunches; a trend that deviated from what consensus rankings had projected headed into the draft, but Houston had found themselves a part of it.

Perhaps they could've done a slight move down from 59 to acquire additional assets and turned their focus to landing Klein at a later point in round three. However, with the way the board shook out for tight ends on day two, there were no guarantees that the Michigan product would've been up for grabs for much longer.

That put Houston in position to select him at the back-end of the second round. It might've been to the surprise of many, but it addresses their outstanding need for tight end depth while getting someone they've kept an eye on throughout the draft process––an athletic, underutilized vertical threat at Michigan who's bound to have a role in Houston's offense pretty early on.

So in the end, while it might not add to Caserio's lengthy track record of draft-day trades, it all worked out for the Texans and their productive draft haul.

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